


Gravitation

by schizoauthoress



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: 3MB is adorable okay, Gen, Light-Hearted, Male Friendship, Pre-Relationship, didn't tag anyone without a speaking role because I care about the readers, rating is solely due to strong language, warning for the C-word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 14:23:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17664329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schizoauthoress/pseuds/schizoauthoress
Summary: Prompt/Fill: Acts of Service as a love language (March 21, 2014 Smackdown)Summary: The Shield gets beat down. Drew doesn't want to explain why he offers them help, but the right person gets the others to accept.Note: Yes I'm writing about things that happened more than four years ago. I'm ignoring the now because now hurts. Enjoy some light-hearted pre-slash.





	Gravitation

The 3 Man Band wanted to be the WWE Tag Team Champions. If they weren't involved in the finish of this fatal four way match, they wouldn't be considered number one contenders to challenge the Usos for the title. Breaking up a pinfall attempt by the Real Americans was simply good strategy in the light of those facts.

That all made sense, and if he were asked why he'd jumped in at that moment in the match, Drew McIntyre would explain his actions by pointing all that out.

Of course, Seth Rollins had already been on the move to save his partner from the pinfall. Drew didn't really need to intervene just then. He had an explanation ready for that, too -- in the heat of the moment, focused on the legal men in the match, he simply hadn't noticed Seth.

No one asked about it. 

In normal circumstances, Drew would have been grateful not to be prodded for an explanation. But the end of the match had been anything but normal -- and nobody was thinking about 3MB, or the Real Americans, or Rybaxel. The Authority had come down on the Shield like a sledgehammer, and all attention was on that instead. 

In the bedlam after his second attempt at breaking a pin, trading punches with Dean Ambrose, Drew hadn't seen the start of it. He hadn't realized anything was wrong, even when Ryback pulled Dean away and tossed the Shield member back into the ring while the bell rang to end the match. Drew didn't put it together until he noticed the lack of a referee in the ring -- and then Heath and Jinder were holding him by the arms, holding him back from getting involved.

'It isn't fair.'

That was the first thing he thought, silly as it was. The other teams were beating up on one Shield member each, with no official to stop them. Those other teams saw what Drew had missed -- Kane doling out retribution to Roman Reigns. Obviously, they wanted to get on the good side of the Director of Operations, and make it clear that they weren't at all supportive of the Shield.

"Whatever you want to do, forget it!" Jinder shouted, practically in Drew's ear. "It's not worth it!"

"Drew, we gotta go!" Heath yelled, tugging on Drew's arm, pulling him away from the announce table side of the ring and heading for the ramp. Zeb Colter was yelling at his team to clear out as well.

The New Age Outlaws and Kane weren't exactly known for being the most reasonable men on the roster. Chances were high that they'd hurt anybody stupid enough to get in their way if they wanted the Shield -- whether it was someone trying to protect the other team, or even someone beating up on the other team. The smartest thing to do was not get involved at all -- which Jinder and Heath obviously realized, and were committed to getting Drew to realize as well.

He hated it. He hated that they had to run, he hated leaving the other stable to the non-existent mercies of Kane, but Drew knew that there was no other choice. Not unless he wanted to see his friends in as much pain as the Shield was in right now.

The only comfort he had was that none of them tried to join in on the Shield's punishment, cold comfort though it was. 

****

"Drew, you coming?" Heath asked, slinging his duffel bag up onto his shoulder. 

Drew glanced up, startled out of his thoughts, then focused on his friend. He replied, "I'll catch up with you in a little while."

"Don't go looking for trouble," Jinder cautioned. Drew wondered if Jinder had guessed at his after-match plans.

Heath laughed, "Not without us to watch your back, anyway!"

Drew smiled, and shook his head a little. "I wouldn't do that, boys."

Jinder shot a look at Heath, but Heath was still grinning and unconcerned. Heath was clearly feeling good, since they'd successfully avoided getting too involved with the Authority's power plays once more. Take small victories where you can get them, and all that.

Drew waited to see if Jinder would argue against leaving him behind, insist that Drew come along just to be sure he wouldn't go 'looking for trouble'. But, in the end, the Indian-Canadian wrestler lifted his bag as well and shrugged.

"If you say so."

"I wanna swing by catering, man," Heath said to Jinder, as the two walked away from Drew, "see if they have any more of those mini pecan rolls left. Those were good..."

Drew watched them go, sucking in a breath until they turned a corner and got out of earshot. Then he released it, relieved. Jinder might have figured out that Drew wanted to seek out some of their opponents from the match tonight. Jinder might have even guessed correctly that Drew was going to look for the Shield. But Drew was fairly confident that Jinder hadn't sussed out his motivations for doing so. 

The objections would have probably been more strenuous in that case.

Drew spun on his heel and hurried the opposite way down the hall. The Shield weren't in the main men's locker room, and they wouldn't want to be near the locker room used by the Authority's men. They'd probably want to be as far away as possible, so Drew was heading for the exit on the opposite side of the building, in the hopes of finding a sign of the Shield on the way there and catching them before they could use it.

Drew was glad he'd taken the time to change into street clothes. He didn't quite blend in with the crew and others milling around backstage, given his height, but he wouldn't stand out quite so much. It wasn't very likely that a backstage interviewer would have any interest in his thoughts on the no-contest ending to the match, but he didn't want to risk the distraction and delay they'd cause in that case.

"...does the hotel have an ice machine? 'Cause I think I could empty it out with as bad as I hurt."

"Think so."

Drew froze at the sound of those voices, only the panicked thought 'What do I say?' ringing in his head. Because he hadn't thought of that. He hadn't thought of anything but checking up on the Shield -- checking up on one of them in particular.

Roman Reigns stopped walking, holding out an arm to keep Seth and Dean behind him. His dark gaze swung unerringly toward Drew and he glared. Drew spread his hands, trying to look harmless -- even though they'd probably know about his previous habit of attacking opponents backstage -- and said nothing.

"What do you want?" Roman demanded. His already gravelly voice was hoarser than normal, and a purplish bruise was spreading across his forehead, darkest at the point of impact.

"Are you guys okay?" Drew asked. "Have you been to first aid?"

Drew was keenly aware of Seth watching him. The man the announcers were fond of calling 'the Architect of the Shield' was always watching people, analyzing their behavior and cataloging it away for future reference. Drew wondered what he was giving away to Seth just by standing here, just by voicing a concern that he, by all rights, shouldn't have.

Other tag teams being taken out of contention for the title could only be a good thing for 3MB, after all.

Roman answered, "We haven't."

"Didn't want to risk it," Seth said. He looked about as worse for wear as Roman did, but that didn't stop him chattering. "Waiting to be seen by the doctors, that could be an open invitation for someone who wanted to beat us up some more. If someone wanted to get points with the Authority for standing against its enemies." 

"His team didn't."

Both Roman and Seth looked behind them, and Drew got a look at the third member of the Shield, and the state he was in. Dean was slightly hunched, clutching at his side, but a smirk curled one corner of his mouth despite all that. He didn't look great, but things definitely could have been worse. (None of them were busted open and bleeding, after all.) Drew fought the urge to smile back -- who knew how the rightfully wary Shield would take it? -- and tried for a casual shrug.

"Maybe I would have before," Drew said honestly, "but a brawl that unbalanced isn't fair and it isn't safe for anybody. Much less with a big guy like Ryback in the mix, especially since he's been wanting to put a hurt on you boys for a while now."

Seth snorted. "Self interest, then, not nobility."

"Because you're all _so_ concerned with being noble." Drew let himself smile following that comment, now that it wouldn't look like he was amused at their injuries. 

Seth's eyes blazed with conviction as he started, "We stand for justice--"

"You buildin' up to something like 'If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us'?" Drew inquired. That was a Francis Bacon quote. He wondered if Seth recognized it.

Seth drew back, scowling. Drew's smile widened. Dean caught sight of the affronted look on his teammate's face and cackled, then winced and cradled his side gingerly.

"See, I can do it, too." Drew said, "And probably better, since it's what I went to university for. But we're strayin' from my point."

Roman interjected, "Which is?" 

"All I wanted to do was make sure you weren't too badly hurt. Maybe offer some help if you are." Drew shrugged again. "I can grab Heath and Jinder, and the three of us will stand guard outside the first aid station for you."

The members of the Shield exchanged glances with each other. The mutterings between them were as impenetrable as the meaning behind the raised eyebrows and small gestures they exchanged. Drew didn't bother trying to decipher it, he just waited them out.

"Anybody wants to get us, they'd have to go through you guys first, something like that?" Dean addressed the question to Drew.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the whole idea," Drew replied wryly.

"And Kane, or Ryback, and anybody else they have with them would _definitely_ get through 3MB," Seth said, "but we'd have a warning they were on the way."

This time, the laughter Dean couldn't suppress was at Drew's expense, and directed at the annoyed look Drew was sure he was sporting. The 3 Man Band didn't have many wins in the ring, true, but it was pretty rude to bring that up when Drew was being nicer than he had to be, offering assistance.

"I say let 'em do it if they want to," Dean offered up. "I'd sure like a professional opinion on the state of my ribs."

Roman looked at each of his teammates in turn, before turning his serious stare onto Drew. He growled out, "This doesn't make us friends."

"Heaven forbid!" Drew retorted, and purposely lapsed into a Scottish accent that was even thicker than his natural speech, "We cannae hae ye makin' friends wit' jus' anyone, can we? You poor cunts winnae stand bein' liked by anybody mair than yerselves!"

Seth looked even more put out. Dean was obviously fighting against laughing and making his ribs hurt worse.

Roman grinned. "You're so fired up to help, you dumb bastard, go ahead."

The casual insult, spoken without heat, let Drew know that he'd gotten through to them. He wasn't sure why that made him feel so triumphant, but it did. "Wait here," he said, "I'll be back with my boys in a mo'."

****

Heath complained about putting themselves on the line, but he came along to help. Jinder pointed out that Drew was likely to go stand guard on his own if they refused, and that changed Heath's tune immediately. Then it was all, can't let you do that alone; if you're gonna be stupid, it's gonna happen with us along for the ride.

So the 3 Man Band escorted the Shield to the first aid station and stood in the hallway just outside it, as Drew wanted. 

They didn't speak, really, too occupied with nervously scanning for an approach by the other tag teams. Drew was grateful for that, too. His friends might've asked for more explanation, and Drew still didn't have one.

At least, not one he felt like sharing.

****

"This doesn't change anything," Seth said to the 3 Man Band. "If we're scheduled in a match with you, we won't take it easy."

"We don't want that," Drew said. "Nobody here said they did."

"Not everybody's you, Seth Rollins," Jinder pointed out, in the driest tone Drew had ever heard him use.

"Oh, yeah?" 'the Architect' snapped, "What does that even mean?"

"We're not all thinking about ways to exploit every situation and seeing ulterior motives in everyone we meet!" Jinder retorted. "I didn't want to help you! Neither did Heath."

"Yeah!" Heath, draped on Jinder's shoulder, leaned in to take part in the conversation. "The only reason we stood guard and made sure Kane didn't send somebody else to fuck you up is because Drew got it into his head to be a decent guy. So why don't you cut the cynical act and just thank him?"

For a long moment, nobody said anything. Dean, being supported by Roman thanks to his heavily taped ribs, swiveled his neck to look at each of his teammates in turn, and snorted at their continued silence. His voice was sing-song and slightly mocking as he said, "Thank you, Drew."

"Yeah, thanks," Seth muttered.

"Thanks," Roman said, with a little nod.

Dean purposely caught Drew's eyes, mischief sparkling in those baby blues, and waggled both eyebrows outrageously, as if the other Shield members grudgingly expressing gratitude was a trick he'd pulled for Drew's amusement. 

Drew snickered, but immediately ducked his head and brought up a hand to block his expression from view. A moment later, composure restored, he lifted his head and returned Roman's nod. "You're welcome. Hope you're better by next week."

"I think we will be," Roman replied. With that, the Shield walked away, definitively concluding the conversation. 

And Drew felt his friends' eyes focus in on him. He turned in place, knowing it would be stupid to avoid them, and looked at both of them in turn. Then he just... shrugged.

"What was all that about?" Heath demanded.

"I don't know," Drew answered. "What happened tonight wasn't right. I just... wanted to do what I could to fix it."

Jinder huffed out a little laugh, and gave a shake of his head. "Getting fired up about injustice?"

"Maybe a little," Drew admitted. "I really don't know."

"Getting beat up by Kane does suck," Heath observed. "It would've been nice if folks checked up on us the last time we were on the receiving end of one of his beatdowns."

"Yeah," Drew nodded emphatically.

Jinder still looked skeptical. "Is that all it was, then? Empathy?"

"Oh _noooo_ ," Heath wailed, leaning too much of his weight on Jinder and making the other man stagger, "Empathy gone mad!"

Jinder swatted at Heath, laughing. "Get off me, moron!" In response, Heath clung even tighter, and Jinder had to steady himself with a hand on the wall.

"Don't ask me for help," Drew teased, "you wouldn't want me showing empathy for your situation, would you, Jinder?"

"You're both assholes!" Jinder cried, sinking to one knee. The fact that he was laughing as he said it took most of the sting away. "Get him off me!"

Drew wrapped an arm around Heath's waist and tugged. It wasn't enough to break his grip, but a warning that Drew was going to try just that. "Come on, he's had enough."

"Nobody ever gets enough of Heath Slater!" Heath declared, but he relinquished his grip on Jinder in the next moment. 

Drew stumbled back a bit, but recovered his footing and set Heath back down. Then he leaned down to help Jinder back up. He kept himself between his stablemates, just in case Heath was going to try messing with Jinder again. It was all in fun, but it could get annoying.

"All right," Drew said, "let's get out of here. It's a long drive to the next show."

"You never did get your pecan rolls," Jinder pointed out. 

"I didn't, did I?"

"We'll have to get you a pack from a convenience store on the way."

"Are we in the right part of the country for them to stock Tastykake Pecan Swirls? Those are the best."

"Heath, you're asking a Canadian and a Scotsman. Why would either of us know?"

"How long have you two been in the country again?"

"...Shut up."

*-*-*-*-*


End file.
